From Sky Raining Fists by JK Anowe 

August 2019 

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say body instead say fracture        the foremost etymology of sorrow bent backwards

      say self-forgiveness    then watch the hole between us refill into an animal

shallower than hunger spent inside-out    once i mistook myself―hard & half-formed in

      my hand    i swear it restructured the world    & gave it a god

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say stay instead say prey like you’re on your knees    say bullet & i’d take one for you

      if only i get to pull the trigger        whoever said death was our final

destination never for once    saw us crawl like worms―torso & all―through a diagonal

      door out of god    how often we return depends on how willing we are to run off

afterwards        so say death    say birth instead    say of these    which best

      describes exile        a body is not a home